The Ikari Ultimatum
by AngelNo13Bardiel
Summary: Six people with former ties to NERV have decided it's time to end this cat-and-mouse game... -Story completed/C&C appreciated-
1. A Means to an End

**DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own Evangelion or any of the characters, they're still property of…well, whoever owns them these days. This fic's got nothing to do with Rebuild, just the original series/movies. This one's (obviously) the next part in **THE IKARI IDENTITY**/**SUPREMACY** series, so read them first if you haven't. And lastly, 'this' is thoughts and "this" is speech.

**THE IKARI ULTIMATUM**

Chapter 1: A Means to an End

* * *

><p>A jarring sensation shook Shinji Ikari out of the otherwise-fitful nap he'd taken. Looking around, he saw that he was still inside the small passenger plane they'd left America in. Around the plane, he caught sight of the five other people he was traveling with. Misato Katsuragi and Kaji Ryoji were both seated in the row on the other side, with Ritsuko Akagi in the row behind them. Rei Ayanami stared out of the window two rows ahead of him. And to his left was Asuka Langley Sohryu, who was currently enjoying a deep sleep and snoring lightly. He'd noticed that particular habit while they stayed in Osaka. 'Still cute, though,' he thought with a smile. Turning to look out the window, he saw that the plane had finally touched back down on the ground.<p>

Taking a moment to stretch, Shinji lightly shook the girl next to him. "Come on, Asuka," he whispered, "wake up. We're here."

Asuka slowly opened her eyes to the waking world, taking in her surroundings. Looking over at Shinji, she smiled with half-opened eyes. "Morning," she said groggily. "How'd you sleep?"

Shinji shrugged. "Not that well. Hard to get comfortable in midair."

"At least you didn't get airsick," Asuka joked, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "That wouldn't have gotten you this," she finished, planting a feather-light kiss on his lips.

"Hey, no mile-high club on my watch," Misato's voice sounded from across the aisle. As they turned to look at her, she continued. "Well, nice to see you two finally up and around."

"Yeah, yeah," Asuka said with a wave of her hand. "Always a good morning for you when it starts with teasing, isn't it?"

"Yep," Misato answered, quickly letting the smile fade from her face. "Gather everything up. We've got work to do…"

Shinji nodded, standing and reaching in the overhead compartment to gather one of the three bags they'd taken along. He grabbed up the rucksack and handed Asuka the backpack. Rei got to her feet and opened her own compartment to retrieve her bag. "From here on, we must blend in and remain quiet," she stated.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Asuka replied.

Rei said nothing, only reaching into her bag to remove a long brunette wig and a case for contacts. "You assume I would not have prepared. That is unwise, Asuka," she explained. Taking a moment to put the contacts in and affix the wig over her hair, she turned towards Misato. "Is this acceptable, Major?"

"Works well enough for me," Misato answered.

"Hey, that's pretty good," Asuka spoke up, walking past Rei. "Maybe when this is over, you can use that look permanently."

"Do you find it to be satisfactory?" Rei asked. Asuka nodded, walking out of the plane. The pale girl turned to look at Shinji. "And what would you say?"

Shinji found himself unable to answer at first. 'Wow…the resemblance is really eerie now,' he thought. Rei had told him that she had been modeled after his mother, but it wasn't until now that he really saw it physically. "Uh…s-sure, it's fine," he finally replied, giving her a slight smile.

Rei gave him the barest of smiles in return, leaving out of the exit hatch. The adults soon followed suit, Shinji trailing just behind them. Upon exiting the plane, he was caught by the slight chill in the pre-dawn air. It was less than had been present in the part of America they had traveled through, but was still very much similar.

The pilot stepped out of the plane right afterwards. "Well, here we are. Just a mile or two outside of Berlin, as per your destination," he said.

"Thanks very much," Kaji replied, shaking the man's hand. "Glad you didn't ask too many questions."

"Hey, not like this is a first for me," the pilot said. "My boss has taken on work for guys like you before. It usually just went a lot worse. Now go on, I don't need to attract any more attention than this."

"Heh, sure thing," Kaji said. "A safe trip for us all."

The group left the landing strip after that, the trip to Berlin taking about an hour. Kaji led the group for this leg of the journey, knowing just where the facility they were looking for was. They remained at the edge of the city, just to avoid further surveillance or detection.

Upon reaching the far side of the city than they'd begun from, Kaji led them to a large two-story concrete structure. "Looks like it's been abandoned for quite a long time," he mused, taking in the building's outside appearance. 'It at least looks solid enough' he thought, gazing up and down the street to see no one in sight.

Four guns were at the ready as they opened the front door and quickly piled inside. This place reminded Shinji of the bunker they'd used back in Tokyo-3. It certainly smelled similar, full of dust and age. 'Damn, even that seems like so long ago,' he thought as they walked up the stairs. The second floor was much like the first, just a wide-open space with concrete pillars in the center of the structure.

Rei approached the door to the roof. "Major, come with me. Everyone else, stay here. We must not present too many targets."

Misato nodded and followed the girl through the door and up the short stairs there. Once outside on the roof, they crouched down as low as they could and snuck over to the edge of the structure facing the NERV branch they were here for. Reaching into her back, the former First Child removed the wig and contacts she'd been wearing. Then she brought out a pair of binoculars and looked to their destination. "What do you see?" the woman asked.

"It is quiet," Rei stated. "More so than the Russian branch was. It is very…discomforting."

"I just hope it's the good kind of quiet," Misato replied. "Like we've arrived before they have."

"We can hope so," Rei said, continuing her watch. The building in question was much like the other had been, only a small structure on the surface with the greater portion of it deep below the ground. It was situated what Rei judged to be about five hundred meters outside the city limits, just far enough for them to not purge it similarly to the Russian branch. 'But it still means they could be within,' she thought.

"So now we wait, huh?" Misato asked.

Rei nodded. "Midnight would be best," she said, removing a watch from her bag. "We still have more than twelve hours. I suggest we prepare thoroughly."

"You'll get no arguments here," Misato replied. She followed close behind as Rei slowly edged back towards the door back down to the stairs.

As they arrived back inside and on the second story, Kaji approached them. "What's the verdict?"

"A little too quiet," Misato answered, leaning against a wall and letting herself slide down it, "but still standing. We leave at midnight."

The others nodded in agreement and settled in for the day. It would be a long wait until midnight…

* * *

><p>Asuka sat near a window on the second floor, looking out at the city behind her. It was just after ten at night, they'd need to be ready in less than an hour. The others were below, mentally preparing themselves for their mission (except for Rei, who offered to keep watch). Currently, the redhead was deeply absorbed in her thoughts. Being back in Germany didn't feel right, it brought up a past pain she'd tried hard to bury. She shivered a little, both from the night air and her musings. "It just had to be back here," she thought aloud.<p>

"I thought you said it wasn't good to talk to yourself," a voice sounded, shaking Asuka from her train-of-thought. Looking into the dark, she could only just make out Shinji in the darkness. "You alright?" he asked upon noticing her far-off stare.

"Yeah, just…" Asuka cut herself off, shaking her head. "No, not really. I'm…uncomfortable with being here."

"Why's that?" Shinji asked, walking up and taking a seat next to her.

Asuka looked down at the floor. "It's…complicated," she began quietly. "It brings up a lot of things I want to forget. I'll tell you in full one day, but for now, let's just say…you know my pain well enough."

Shinji stared at her silently for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"I mean about your mother," Asuka said, doing her best to hold in her own torrent of emotions concerning those words. "I saw how it made you react when Misato and Rei explained it to you. You thought she'd died, but…"

"The contact experiment took her into the EVA," Shinji finished for her. "Yeah, I remember. I saw her there when Unit-01 absorbed me, too."

"Kaji told me something similar happened to Mama," Asuka started. "No one really knows for certain, but it…took part of her. And what happened to her after that…" She trailed off, her shaking becoming more pronounced.

Shinji put an arm around Asuka and pulled her close. "Shh," he whispered, "you don't have to continue. I think I understand." He smiled at an old memory. "That finally makes sense now…"

"Huh? What does?" Asuka asked, wiping a few tears away.

Shinji sighed, the smile on his face remaining. "It was on the last night of our unison training…"

Asuka laughed a little as the memory came back to her. "Oh God, that was an odd time. I still remember those hideous outfits."

"Yeah," Shinji continued. "You went into the other room to sleep, but…did you know you sleepwalk?"

Asuka looked up at him, surprised. "What? Really?"

"At least, I think you were," Shinji replied. "All I know is that I opened my eyes and you were next to me, sleeping soundly."

"Did you try anything with me?" Asuka questioned with a teasing smirk.

Shinji turned away to hide his red face. "I…wanted to kiss you then," he admitted. "I can't deny that. But then I saw a tear and you mumbled 'mama'. I couldn't do it after I saw that. It was just so unlike I'd ever seen you…"

Asuka didn't have an answer to that. It wasn't shocking that he'd wanted to kiss her even back then. But that she'd unwittingly showed him a vulnerable side of her certainly was. From what she could remember, he was across the room when they awoke the next morning. "Did you know you were in love with me then?" she finally asked after a long silence.

Shinji shook his head. "No, but I did realize then that I liked you more than on a purely physical level," he explained. "I think it was…when we first kissed."

Asuka hung her head low at that memory. "Ugh…that's one I'd rather forget about."

"Because you didn't like it?" Shinji asked. He clearly remembered her reaction then.

Asuka shook her head a bit. "It just wasn't how it should have been," she whispered.

"You mean you weren't just testing me then?" Shinji asked in a shocked tone. She had made it so clear back then that she didn't enjoy it one bit.

"Alright, fine" Asuka said in a huff. "No, I wasn't JUST testing you. I was…interested in you then. It couldn't be helped, we'd been living together for months by then. I think it was just a matter of time before one of us made a move. But you being how you were-"

"-meant you had to make it, right?" Shinji cut in. "But what did you want from me then?"

"To hold me…" Asuka admitted. "Instead, you just stood there like a statue."

"Funny," Shinji said, deciding to tease her a bit, "I seem to remember someone cutting off my air first."

Asuka gave him a nudge to the ribs. "Did you even enjoy it? Honestly?" she questioned.

Shinji smiled widely at her. "Of course. Didn't I say I wanted to before then?" he asked. "You just…took me off-balance with it all. How else was I supposed to react, given how things had been between us up until then?"

"I…see what you mean," Asuka conceded. "But you liked it even when you ran out of breath?"

Shinji nodded. "Your lips were the softest thing I'd ever felt," he explained with a wistful look. "And the warmth behind them just left me…I dunno, anything else was a pretty far cry from that."

"And it was that moment, not really a proud one for either of us, that made you love me?" Asuka asked, laughing a short bit after. "My God, we're both still such complete messes."

"Maybe," Shinji replied with a sigh. "But we can at least be messes together. And maybe we can help each other work on that."

"You'd really be that willing?" Asuka asked.

Shinji nodded. "I'll always be here. If you'll have me, of course."

Asuka remained quiet, but leaned in to press her lips to Shinji's. The kiss only took seconds to deepen, to the point that each felt like the other would engulf them. And they both had to admit, this was FAR better than the first time they'd done so. As she pulled away slowly, the redhead whispered to him. "As long as you want me."

Shinji continued to smiled widely at her, his face only a little red. Looking at his watch, he spoke up. "I think we need to go back to the others. It's almost time."

Asuka nodded, standing from the hard concrete floor and following close behind him back to the ground floor, where the others were readying themselves for the coming mission…

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes before midnight, the group had made it to the front door of the NERV Germany facility. The outside was very nondescript, a plain rectangular building with a single entrance in the front. "Yeah, I'd have passed this place and never known," Misato said, staring at the structure. "Not even a logo to show on any surface."<p>

"Maybe we're just too used to how NERV Tokyo-3 was set up," Ritsuko replied. "Although I'd be surprised if it isn't the same layout inside. I see SEELE as the kind of people who adhere to a set pattern of things."

"Agreed," Rei stated, looking at the guts of the front door's electronic lock. "But this part may take some time. I am afraid I do not know how to bypass electronic locks."

Asuka sighed and walked up beside her. "Here, lemme give something a try," she said, reaching into her pocket to produce a blood-red card she swiped through the card reader. A soft beep and a click told them all they needed to know. "Well, I'll be damned. Can't believe that worked."

Shinji stared dumbly at her, then down at the card in her hand. It was Asuka's ID card for this branch of NERV. "No way in Hell would anyone convince me that happened," he muttered.

"Now that's either just the laziest shit I've ever seen," Misato began, "or they're waiting for us."

"I'll bet on the latter," Kaji said, hold his handgun at the ready. "Move slow and keep your eyes open."

The inside was only a long hall with an elevator at the end. Piling inside, they could see that there were many choices of where to begin their search. But two seemed likely: the level that Asuka recognized as being the main floor and something marked 'sub level'. "Guess we'll go from the bottom up," she said, pressing the bottom button. Slowly, the elevator descended deep below the surface. As it traveled down, everyone on board glanced at each other. Four guns between the six of them, every one loaded and at the ready. Everyone looked prepared to meet an army head-on.

After nearly twenty minutes, the elevator came to a stop at its destination. The doors opened to show a long, barely-lit hallway that reminded some of them the lower levels of the NERV branch they'd been in so often. "This is almost identical to Terminal Dogma," Ritsuko mused, walking with the rest of the group down the long hall. "Wait, this area…"

"Yes," Rei spoke up. "It would have gone to the Dummy Plug Core in the Tokyo-3 facility."

Shinji swallowed hard at the memory of that particular room. He'd seen it in some of his nightmares since then. "Wonder what they keep down here?"

"Ugh, who knows?" Misato asked. "The more NERV secrets I learn, the more I wished I didn't know."

As they passed one particular room, Rei stopped and stared inside. "This is…" she began.

"It's just like the one back in Tokyo-3," Ritsuko continued. The room they stopped in front of was almost identical to the room she'd shown Misato and Shinji, telling them it was the room Rei was 'raised' in. Bandages, pills, a simple bed…every detail was eerily familiar.

"What does this mean?" Rei asked. Continuing down the hall, she came to a door at the end. As she reached out to open it, she felt fear…something she hadn't felt since her second self's death. Opening the door, she was met with another room that was all-too-similar.

"Oh God…" Misato whispered. It was almost the same as the Dummy Plug Core she'd seen in Tokyo-3.

Rei slowly walked over to the central tube, reading the name imprinted on it. "Tabris…" she stated. "This is where they created Nagisa."

"Y-you mean this was here the whole time?" Asuka questioned. It was insane…right below where she'd spent so much of her childhood, SEELE had created and raised the final Angel. "And if it's like the other one…"

"…then there were others made like him," Rei concluded. "Most likely, they became the cores of the Dummy Plugs for the EVA mass-production models."

"Figures they couldn't leave that damned thing well enough alone," Ritsuko said, studying the object in the center of the room. 'An exact likeness,' she thought.

"I think I found the light," Misato said from the far wall. "I don't know if we're ready or not, but…"

Shinji took a deep breath. He hoped the sight they'd see wouldn't be the same as the other one. "Go ahead, Misato."

Misato nodded and pulled on the large switch. Nine more lights came on from nine more tanks arranged around the room. Each of them was empty, only LCL inside. "I just hope it's a good thing they're empty," she said, letting out the breath she'd been holding.

"Let…let's just go, Misato," Asuka said. "I'm already feeling sick about this all."

"I can imagine," Shinji replied. Looking over at Rei, who was still standing near the central tube, he spoke softly to her. "Come on, Rei. We've got to move on."

Rei stared at the device for a few seconds longer before turning towards him. "Yes…we should not delay any longer." As they left to return to the elevator, the former First Child turned back to look at the room. "I guess we really were the same, Nagisa."

* * *

><p>After another fifteen minutes in the elevator, the group came out into the front room of the main level. It was a large open room with many pillars that narrowed after about a hundred feet into a hallway. "Not quite like back home," Misato said.<p>

"I think I can take it from here," Asuka spoke up, walking to the front of the group. "I was here for a number of years, you'll remember." No one really disagreed with her, it did make perfect sense. Continuing into the hallway, the group soon came to a two-way split. "This way," the redhead stated, pointing to the right path.

"We should split off a small group here," Rei offered. "I volunteer myself. Who shall accompany me?"

"You sure that's a good idea?" Misato asked.

"If there are already operatives here," Rei explained, "then perhaps we could make it difficult for them to pin us into one area."

"Sounds good enough to me," Kaji said. "What do the rest of you say?"

The other three nodded. It wasn't unreasonable. But it did cut their numbers down in either group. 'Good thing that three of us are trained for this,' Shinji thought.

Misato looked at Rei. "I'll go with you," she said before turning back towards the other two Children. "You two be careful, okay?" They both nodded.

"Watch your back, Katsuragi," Kaji said with a wink.

"Watch your own," Misato replied, following Rei closely down the opposite hall.

Kaji sighed and turned back to the others. "Guess we're down to four now, huh?"

"You think they'll be okay?" Shinji asked.

"You'd know as well as I would, Shinji," Kaji answered. "Let's go."

The four of them slowly made their way through the corridors of the building, following Asuka's directions until they reached an open catwalk overlooking what seemed to be an EVA cage. Peering down into it, Shinji let out a sharp gasp. "Th-that's…"

The others looked over the side at what he'd seen, their immediate reactions similar to Shinji's. Down below in the cage, there was a huge white form in pieces. Although the head was oddly-shaped, there was no doubt of what it was. "That's an EVA…" Ritsuko said.

"Correct, doctor," a voice sounded from just above them. The four of them spun around quickly, Kaji and Shinji pointing the guns they were carrying at the sound. On a catwalk several feet above and across from theirs, a middle-aged man dressed in black was standing. The boy could make out something in his left hand. "Evangelion Unit-07, to be exact," the man continued.

"And just who the hell are you?" Kaji shouted to the man.

"Consider me…an expendable asset," the man answered with a wide smirk. "Oh, and do lower the guns. Or else…" he trailed off, holding up the object in his hand.

Kaji's eyes widened as he recognized the device. "Dead-man's trigger…" he said quietly.

"What?" Shinji whispered.

"It means, mister Ikari," the man cut in, "that if I release this…well, let's just say it's a long way down."

"Assassin or mercenary?" Kaji shouted, lowering his gun.

"Call me a bit of both," the assassin said. Then he noticed that two of them were unaccounted for. "Where's the major and the First Child?"

"We left them in a safe location," Kaji bluffed. "It's only the four of us."

"You should have brought them, too," the assassin shot back. "You'd have needed all the manpower."

"If that's true, then why not just go and finish us off?" Shinji spoke up suddenly. "It's clear that you have the drop on us."

"Shinji, what are you-" Ritsuko began.

"Trust me on this one," Shinji replied.

The assassin laughed coldly. "My boy…who ever said we were looking to kill YOU?"

Shinji felt his blood freeze in his veins. "Wait, you mean…"

"Of course," the assassin cut in. "Boss's orders say you're to be brought in alive. Part of some 'project' he's got cooked up."

"Third Impact…" Shinji whispered. He felt the anger slowly build in him. "And what makes you think I'll even entertain going along with that?" he shouted.

"There's always the people around you…" the assassin said. "More to the point, the Second Child."

Shinji looked over at Asuka, who just stared at him wide-eyed. He slowly walked over in front of her and stood his ground, holding his arms outstretched. "You want to hurt them? You'll have to take me with them."

Kaji and Ritsuko walked closer to them, the four of them now in the direct center of the catwalk. "Your move, asshole," Asuka said in an angry tone.

"I'm holding all the cards here," the assassin said in an upset tone. "What makes you think you can order me around?"

"The fact of what your 'boss' will do to you if you kill me," Shinji replied.

The assassin was currently weighing his options. If he killed the Third Child, Zero was sure to make his death as slow as humanly possible. And it seemed the boy wasn't even concerned with his own life, only those with him. 'Goddamn stubborn kids, they're always mak-'

His thoughts were cut off as an arm clamped itself over his neck, a knife digging slightly into his throat. "You keep ahold of that thing or I'll gut you, I sweat to God," Misato whispered threateningly.

"And what will you do if I don't, Major?" the assassin asked.

Misato dug the blade in a little more, just before breaking the skin. "You'll wish I was as lenient as your boss," she replied. "And don't even think for a second I'm any less than dead serious." The assassin didn't reply. He knew just how serious this woman could be if pushed. "Rei, disarm that damned thing."

Rei moved out onto the walkway and beside the man, looking over the device carefully. After a few seconds, something glowing on the top of it caught her eye. 'Toggle switch,' she thought, pressing it softly. A beep sounded from the device as it went offline. "It is safe now," she stated, removing it from the assassin's hand.

"And what now, Katsuragi?" the assassin threatened. "You don't have what it takes to do it. You'll just have to let me go now."

"Hardly," Misato said in a cold tone, barely above a whisper. She slowly brought the knife down from his neck…only to shove it forcefully into the left side of his back, giving it a slight twist. "You NEVER threaten those children, you hear me?" she whispered before releasing him, the blade sliding out of his body. A soft gasp was the last sound that escaped him as he bled out onto the catwalk.

Shinji could only stare at what had just happened. 'She…killed for us,' he thought. Asuka's reaction was similar, feeling a little sick. It brought to mind the last time she'd seen a dead human being.

Rei walked over to Misato, who was still breathing heavy and staring at the dead assassin. "Major," she said, almost a shout compared to her normal tone. Misato's head snapped up quickly to look at her, the knife falling from her hand. "Do not dwell on it."

Misato shook her head several times, trying to control her rage. "I'm…okay now, Rei," she said slowly. Looking over the railing, she shouted to Asuka. "Does this come out down there?"

"Yeah, a couple hundred feet down the hall," Asuka replied.

Misato turned to leave, taking one last look at her first kill. Shaking her head again, she followed the upper hallway to where it connected to the lower one via a small corridor. As she got closer to the children, she quickly picked up speed and took them both into a tight hug. "Oh God, I thought he was…" she tried to explain, tears threatening to burst out at any time. She slowly released her charges and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, before you ask."

Shinji tried to smile to her as best as he could, but the assassin's words came to mind again. "So they still need me…"

"Yes," Rei said, walking up behind Misato. "We both heard what he said. I did not assume that Zero would resume the Instrumentality Project. And if there was someone here…"

"Then no doubt there'll be others to meet us on the way out," Kaji cut in.

"They've made a terrible mistake, then," Shinji spoke in a voice as cold as his father's.

"What are you talking about?" Asuka asked.

"Now I know they won't kill me," Shinji explained, "and that gives me an edge over them. They threatened your lives. That was their first and last mistake."

"You've got some way we can just walk out of here, then?" Asuka questioned.

"I do," Shinji began. "But I must ask you all to trust me. Implicitly."

"I know I do," Asuka said. Looking around the walkway, the others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Good," Shinji said, going over to a corner of the walkway and lying down. "Look on the underside of this thing. You'll know what you're looking for when you see it." He turned back to slowly peer over the edge and under the path to see exactly what he expected. Semtex, at least a pound in each block, strapped to several points the walkway. "Somebody grab my ankles."

Kaji walked over and did so, allowing the boy to reach just far enough to take hold and dislodge one of the blocks of explosive from its place. "He wasn't bluffing after all," the former spy mused. "Hey, wait…you don't mean to-"

"Yes, he does," Rei answered. "I understand, Shinji." She turned to the others. "Gather four more of these in the same manner."

The group scrambled to quickly do so. After a couple of minutes, they had five blocks of the material on the walkway with them. "So…what are we going to do with these?" Misato asked.

"Each of you take one and keep it close by," Shinji began. "Don't worry, it's inert right now." The others did so, only two of them understanding his plan. "Rei, hand me that," he said, pointing to the device she'd taken from the assassin.

Rei handed it off to him, breathing a heavy sigh. "I trust you know what to do."

"Me too," Shinji replied, taking the device firmly in his left hand and activating it. The five blocks of Semtex they were carrying became live once again.

All around, the others slowly understood what the plan was. "Ohmigod," Misato whispered, feeling her hands start to shake a little. "I trust you, Shinji. But this is just…"

"I can't see a better way to walk out of here," Shinji replied. He tried to keep it together outwardly, but inside he was a virtual storm of anxiety. "Now stay as close as you can to me. That'll be key."

The rest of the group nodded, huddling around him and slowly keeping pace with him on the walk back out into the hallway. As they made it back into the large main room, clicks were heard all around the room as nearly a dozen-and-a-half heavily armed men in fatigues came out from behind the pillars. One in particular stepped forward, armed with only a pistol. "You'll be coming with us now, boy."

Shinji slowly raised his left hand to show them the device held by it. "You see this?" he asked, looking around the room. "You see what they're holding, don't you? Anything happens to them, I let this go. And if anyone lives…you'll have to deal with your boss."

Several of the men shuffled nervously, wondering if this kid was just bluffing or not. "You don't have the balls," the commanding officer spoke up.

"Just try me," Shinji spoke using a tone not unlike his father's. "We'll be leaving. Now."

"I think there maybe someone who has something to say otherwise," the commanding officer said, placing a laptop on a nearby surface and opening it to show a screen displaying 'SEELE-0 - SOUND ONLY'.

"At last, we finally meet," a voice with a heavy Russian accent came from the laptop. "You have caused me far too much trouble, boy."

"SEELE-0," Shinji said. "I'll give you one last chance, sir. Leave us to our lives in peace or, so help me God, I'll bring this war right to you."

"And what would you threaten me with, child?" Zero asked. "I hold all the cards here, including something from Tokyo-3 we need for the ceremony."

"Unit-01..." Shinji muttered.

"Yes," Zero continued. "While you've been…busy, I had my forces retrieve it and bring it to where I am."

"And just where is that?" Shinji questioned threateningly.

"Let's just say…the last place untouched by Second Impact," Zero replied.

"Which you and your comrades started," Shinji spat.

"We made miscalculations!" Zero shouted. "It was a mistake to think we could use Adam. This time, it will not be the same."

"That's because it won't happen," Shinji said. "Now order them to get out of our way. Like I said, this is your last chance."

"I wouldn't let your bastard of a father ruin our plans," Zero said. "What makes you think you could?"

Shinji held the trigger device up to where the camera on the laptop could see it. "This does," he answered. "You make a move on me OR them, your scenario will fall apart completely. Don't think for a second that I'm joking."

A tense silence fell over the room. The others staring between the soldiers, the laptop, and Shinji. The soldiers looking around at the intruders and at each other. The former Third Child stared into the laptop's camera unblinking, not looking anywhere else. On the other end, Zero stared at the boy's expression. "Let them go," he finally said after several terse minutes.

The commanding officer was hesitant to speak up. "S-sir, are you…sure?"

"Do not question me, lieutenant," Zero ordered. "Unfortunately, he has the upper hand this moment." He addressed Shinji again. "You continue thinking you can outrun my reach. Pray we do not meet again, boy."

"The same to you," Shinji replied. "And who said I was running anymore?"

The lieutenant closed up the laptop and stared at Shinji. "You'll never win against him."

"We'll be the judge of that," Shinji said. "Now give me the keys to whatever you arrived in."

"And what makes you think-" the lieutenant began.

Shinji held up his other hand, his M9 held tight in it and pointed at the man's head. "I won't repeat that again. Now…"

The lieutenant motioned to one of the soldiers, who tossed a set of keys at the center of the group. "There. Now get out of here before I don't care what my boss wants."

Shinji looked out of the corner of his left eye to Misato, nodding at her. The major slowly lowered herself to the ground, picking up the keys before rising again. The group continued their snail's-pace walk to the elevator, never once taking their eyes off the crowd of soldiers.

They piled inside, Shinji reaching out and hitting the button for the ground floor with the barrel of his gun. As the elevator's doors closed, Shinji switched the device off and waited for the explosives to go offline before breathing in the deepest he ever had and letting go of the trigger. "Okay…we…have about five…minutes before we come…back out to the surface…" he managed in between breaths, leaning against the closed doors. "First things first," he continued, pointing to the ceiling. "Rei, get the panel open and place one of the charges there. Someone help her up."

Misato gave Rei a boost using her hands. As she stood on the unsteady footing, the pale girl quickly used the end of a knife to unscrew the panel and open it up before placing one of the Semtex charges near the main cables. She then quickly replaced the panel and stepped down. "What is the next step?"

"Just stand behind the others," Shinji said, picking the trigger device back up. "We'll have to see if anyone is waiting outside."

The other four in the elevator picked up the blocks of explosive and held them tightly as the journey upwards continued. Just before the elevator doors opened, Shinji quickly took a tight grip on the device and toggled it back to active. The elevator arrived back into the small structure up top, the doors opening to reveal an empty lobby. As the doors closed behind them again, Rei spoke up. "We have no more than ten minutes until they are on us again."

Shinji nodded, leading them out of the entrance. There were no soldiers here, only two black APCs parked a few feet away. "Misato, check which one the keys go to," he began, switching the device off again. "Kaji, take two of the charges and place them on either side of the entrance. Rei, look for the any tracking devices on the vehicle the keys go to. Asuka, plant two of the charges under the other one. Doctor, stay behind one of the vehicles for cover."

The others nodded, going about with the plan. Misato walked into the back of one of the APCs and tried the keys in the steering column. "Damn straight, got it in one," she muttered. "It's this one!"

Asuka quickly ran over to the other vehicle, planting a charge under the front and back sides of it. Rei inched herself under the APC Misato was in and scanned the underside for anything that'd give a signal. 'I must hurry, they are coming,' she thought, searching quickly. She finally located the device after another two minutes, cutting all of the wires attaching it to the APC. Sliding back out from under it, she ran into the back of the vehicle.

"Alright, let's get clear," Misato shouted from the driver's seat. The others piled in quickly and took seats, buckling themselves in tightly.

"Rei, take it," Shinji said, handing her the trigger device. "My grip's pretty much done for now."

Rei took it in hand and activated it, keeping it in a strong grip. Looking out one of the small view ports in the back, she caught sight of the soldiers finally having arrived back at ground level. "We must depart. Now."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Misato said, turning the key and cranking the vehicle up. Putting her gas foot down as hard as she could, gunfire began bouncing off the back end of the APC. "Do something about them!"

"We have to get clear first," Rei replied. They were still far too close.

Misato steered the large vehicle away from the building and in the opposite direction of Berlin. 'Don't need to be close to there anytime soon,' she thought.

Rei slowly watched the entrance of the structure slowly become smaller. "I am sorry," she whispered, letting her grip relax and shedding a single tear.

A deep thud from underground shook the APC and a good bit of the nearby area, along with the more obvious explosions at the entrance of the facility and the other APC. "Guess there was more planted than just what was under the walkway," Kaji said, looking out at the fires that had sprung up around the front door. As the shockwave subsided, the occupants of the APC all took in a little time in silence.

"Shinji…" Asuka finally spoke after a long time.

"Y-yeah?" Shinji asked, still not having fully calmed down.

Asuka rose from her seat quickly and stood in front of him, picking him up by the collar. "What the fuck were you thinking?" she practically screamed. "You absolute fucking prick, you almost scared me to death!" She slapped him across the face once and began hitting him on the chest, the blows becoming weaker after the first few hits.

"Asuka…" Shinji began, stopping her blows by pulling her into a hug. "I had to make sure we all got out of there. I had to take that kind of a chance. It was the best option."

"I know, but…" Asuka managed, trying not to cry in front of the others. Shinji was one thing, but she wouldn't be able to stand letting anyone else see her like that. "You'd have really died for us?"

Shinji nodded. "I would have. Especially you," he said, pulling back slightly to have her look him in the eye.

"But I don't want you to die for me!" Asuka said loudly.

"But if something happened and you…died," Shinji whispered, letting a few tears fall, "I wouldn't want to go on. You mean that much to me."

Asuka couldn't reply to that. 'Oh God, just how deep does this go for him?' her mind asked itself. Staring Shinji in the face, she smiled a little. "I…I'm glad you feel that strongly," she began, the smile falling away a few second later, "but I'm going to stay pissed at you for a while for that stunt. So enjoy this, because you won't get another one or a word from me until at least a few hours from now." After finishing her statement, she pulled him into a kiss as fiery and smoldering as the first one they'd shared back in the hotel room.

Shinji's breath caught for just a second before relaxing into it and focusing his attention on her. Both made faint moans and came up gasping for air more than thirty seconds later. Asuka glared at him before moving to a seat away from him in the APC. "Wh-wha…I…sorry…can't…" was the best he could come up with, his mind clearly fogged over.

"Remember to use proper grammar, lover-boy," Ritsuko teased. "Geez, you two really get into it."

"I'll say," Kaji replied, blinking in surprise. 'Damn, they kiss like Misato and I do,' he thought with some amusement.

Rei moved towards the front of the APC and into the passenger side next to Misato. "Where do you suggest we go from here?" she asked the woman.

"I've got nothing," Misato admitted, trying to keep the vehicle on the more out-of-the-way roads. "I'm going to need some direction soon. I'm…just a little out of my element here."

Ritsuko moved over to where the onboard computer was and began typing away. "Give me a few minutes, I'll tell you where they would've been headed with us," she said, her fingers moving wildly. A little less than five minutes later, she stopped typing and turned towards Misato. "Head north for now, I'll get into detail about where after that."

"Where were they headed?" Misato questioned.

"Looks like it's almost near the top of Denmark," Ritsuko replied.

Rei walked back into the APC towards the scientist, looking at the information on-screen. "It appears to be a supply base with an airstrip."

"That's pretty out of the way for one," Misato said, keeping her attention on the road.

Shinji, finally having regained his faculties, looked over to Rei and Ritsuko. "Wait, what was it Zero said?" he spoke up. "He said 'the last place untouched by Second Impact', right? Where would that be?"

Ritsuko thought on it for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "The Arctic," she said. "It makes sense, it was the continent least affected by it. And a supply base and airstrip would be needed, if that's right."

Rei studied the map for a minute before returning to the seat next to Misato. "I will relay to you from Dr. Akagi where we will need to go," she stated.

"Sounds fine to me," Misato said, looking down at the almost-full fuel gauge. "Don't think we'll be have to worry about that, at least."

*******To be continued…*******

**A/N:** A good start to this arc of the story, I'd say. Plenty of suspense and tension along with some explosions makes for a great time.

Like I did with Supremacy, we'll just save the omake for the last chapter. You could consider it something to look forward to…

Pre-read for this chapter was again done by the team of Dark Machine, Eric Blair, gesser87, and JimmyWolk. Good work as always, gentlemen.

Small note: this chapter and all previous/following it were written around late June/early July last year. So a quick "sorry" to everyone who may have been waiting for something after TLaWR. Revisions and pre-reading can take quite a bit of time, it would seem…

For any of you who are new to the community, all of my older (2004-2006) works have undergone a small bit of tweaking (as of the 14th of June 2010). So go take a look, tell me what you think. And review! Even if it's not positive, review!

As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way!

**-AngelNo13Bardiel-**


	2. Feeling Gravity's Pull

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

**THE IKARI ULTIMATUM**

Chapter 2: Feeling Gravity's Pull

* * *

><p>The next day went by quickly enough, the group finding itself just outside of the base just as night was falling again. Parking the APC about half-a-mile away from the base, Misato was the last to disembark. "How do you wanna take this one?" she asked Rei as they came about two hundred feet away from the gate.<p>

Rei surveyed the base through a pair of binoculars. A large supply plane was currently being loaded up for another trip to whatever location it was stocking. There was no real security at the base, only a small crew of engineers and workers. 'It is hidden well enough to need very little,' she thought. The rest of the base was nothing more than a couple of wooden buildings, at least one of them communications. "Head to the plane first and clear it. I shall be along shortly," she explained, heading stealthily around the outside of the base limits.

Misato looked back at the others. "Come on, let's make this as short as possible. And unless they're armed, try to make it bloodless."

Shinji nodded, following her down towards the plane. The other three followed them, slowly creeping to one side of the plane.

Inside the plane, one of the workers was taking his last smoke break before their flight. As he put the lighter to the cigarette, he found a gun suddenly very close to his nose. Looking down the barrel, he caught sight of a lavender-haired woman. She put a finger to her lips and motioned for him to run. The worker didn't hesitate a bit and broke out in a sprint, heading for one of the buildings. But as he made it inside, a small pale arm came from one side of the door and promptly knocked him cold.

The others slowly worked their way inside the cargo bay of the large plane. There were no more than four or five crew inside, not a one of them armed. 'I guess that's one small miracle,' Misato thought. Clearing her throat, she continued pointing the gun in their direction, Kaji and Shinji joining in. "We'll make this simple," she began. "Get out now, and you'll all walk away unharmed." Like the first guy, these men wasted no time in making a retreat.

Opening the cockpit door, Kaji was met by the pilot reaching for his own weapon. "Ah, I wouldn't do that," he warned the man. The pilot made a grab for it, only to be caught on the side of the head by the bottom of a handgun. "Told you," the former spy said, pulling the unconscious man from the plane. "Gimme a hand with this one, Misato."

Misato grabbed the man's legs and helped Kaji move him out onto the tarmac. "Not bad, not one had to be seriously injured," she said. At that moment, she saw Rei approaching her from her peripheral vision. In one of her hands was a large case. "Where'd you go?"

"Communications have been severed," Rei said, "and I have gathered something we will need at our destination."

"You know how to fly one of these things?" Misato asked, following her inside the plane.

"Yes, I have been trained in the operation of many types of aircraft," Rei explained, opening the cockpit door. Placing herself in the pilot's chair, she resumed the start-up procedure the pilot had begun. "I would suggest you close the back hatch and seat yourselves. This will be a more…unstable ride than the VTOL was."

As Misato moved past him, Shinji took a moment to seat himself and look about the plane. It had apparently not been fully loaded up when they arrived, as there was still a lot of open room in the cargo storage portion of the plane.

Asuka sat down next to him. "You alright?"

"I thought you weren't talking to me," Shinji said, trying to lighten the mood.

Asuka gave him a small shove. "Oh, that was yesterday. I'm okay with it now," she replied. "At the time, you really scared the shit outta me, you know?"

"Sorry about that," Shinji said, "but you know I had to bluff them that way to make it out safely."

"Really playing this one close to the chest, huh?" Asuka questioned.

"As close as you are to it," Shinji replied with a smile.

"Save the corny romantic stuff until we're done," Asuka said, her mood turning serious. "With any luck, it'll all be over by tomorrow."

Shinji nodded, looking across to Misato. The older woman flashed him a smile that shouted 'we'll be alright'. Kaji offered him a similar grin, although neither eased the knot in the boy's gut. 'Guess we'll just see what the plan is in small steps,' he thought, trying to relax as he felt the plane slowly move down the runway and off the ground…

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the plane was moving quickly over Arctic airspace and towards Zero's location. Ritsuko had taken on navigation while Rei piloted. "Looks like it's between two-ninety and three hundred miles from the center of the continent," she told the girl. "We'll be over it in just short of twelve minutes."<p>

"Understood," Rei said, making another check of the plane's gauges.

In the back of the plane, Shinji sat quietly and continually went over the plan in his head. "Little nervous?" Asuka questioned.

Shinji looked up at her, puzzled. Asuka pointed to his hands, which were currently shaking. "Yeah…" he answered. "I'm just ready to get this all done with. I want to go back to normal…hell, I'd even take boring."

"I hear you there," Asuka replied, letting out a sigh. "This has definitely been the longest week-and-a-half of my life."

The cockpit door opened up, Rei and Ritsuko walking out into the cargo bay. "We are nearing our destination," the girl stated, moving towards the very back of the plane. "I suggest we prepare."

The others stood up from their places and began to gather whatever gear they'd need. "So, how close are we going to land?" Misato asked.

"Um…we're not landing in the conventional sense," Ritsuko said, shaking her head a bit.

"Huh? I don't get it," Misato replied.

Rei opened up a large compartment near the tail end of the plane, revealing a rack of large backpacks and thick white jackets. She handed the woman one of each. "The plane has been set into auto-pilot to land approximately five hundred feet past the coordinates," she explained. "We must be off by then."

Misato stared at the pack she'd been handed, realization dawning. "Wait…you can't possibly mean-"

"Yes," Rei stated, handing the same items out to the others. "We must make an insertion by air."

Kaji almost laughed at that. "Not exactly what they'll be expecting," he said, putting the jacket and pack on.

"What's she talking about?" Asuka questioned.

Misato looked as pale as death. "We're…jumping."

Asuka stared at her before snapping her head around to Rei. "Oh you better damn well be kidding…" she said, her voice a little shaky.

"I am not," Rei continued, strapping on her own parachute. "There is no eye protection available, so keep your eyes shut on the way down. After jumping, count off ten seconds and pull this," she said, touching a large pull ring near her right shoulder. "Should it fail, there is a backup here," she finished, motioning to a smaller one across her abdomen. She walked back over to the very back of the plane and turned to the others. "Are there any objections?" she asked, her hand on the tail release lever.

The others looked around the room at one another. This certainly wasn't the most sane plan, but just knocking on the front door was far crazier. "At least there's some cover from a snowstorm right now," Ritsuko said. "It'll give us more time until they see us."

Shinji sighed deeply. This wasn't something he'd ever pictured himself doing. Then again, neither was anything else that had happened in the last few months. "I…I guess we're as ready as we'll be," he told Rei.

Rei nodded. "Hang on to the rungs overhead," she said. After everyone had taken a firm hold, she pulled the lever. The tail blew off the back of the plane in a loud 'bang', falling into the snowstorm and disappearing. "We must depart now if we are to land safely out of sight," she spoke loudly (for her) and flung the long case she'd brought onboard out of the plane, a small parachute tied to it.

"Supply drop?" Misato shouted over the wind. Rei nodded, walking over to the open end and falling backwards into the abyss. The major stared out of the plane, no longer able to see the girl. "This is crazy…"

"Oh come on, Misato," Kaji said, walking toward the open end. "It'll be fun."

"You've done this before?" Misato asked.

"Once or twice," Kaji replied. "Not on-the-job, mind you. I jumped for the thrill."

"You have some idea of fun," Misato muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Let's go," Kaji said, taking her arm and walking them both towards the edge. Misato looked back to the others, giving them a queasy smile before the former spy pulled them both out of the plane…a short loud yelp being the last sound she made upon exiting.

Ritsuko shook her head, giving an uneasy laugh. "She's right about one thing, this is nuts," she said. Walking over to the edge, she took a deep breath before hopping out.

"Well, that just leaves us," Asuka stated. Looking over at Shinji, she saw that his shaking hands had become worse. "Oh really, this isn't any different than an exit catapult!"

"Except without an entry plug full of LCL for cushioning," Shinji spoke in an anxious tone. "Or an EVA, either."

Asuka shrugged. "Hey, no way out now but down," she replied. Grabbing ahold of both of his hands, she gave them a small squeeze before letting go. After that, she walked to the edge and did her best swan dive off the plane.

"Always showing off," Shinji said with a grin. Looking down into the storm, he swallowed hard and sighed. 'No way out but down,' his mind repeating Asuka's words. Deciding not to look down, he slowly closed his eyes and stepped out into the sky.

Shinji would have screamed, had he found the air to do so. From here, all he could do was count off ten seconds in his head. Shocked as he was, he still wanted to land safely on ground level. As he came to ten, he pulled the release cord. The sudden upward acceleration dug the parachute harness into several points of his body. Grunting in pain, he opened his eyes when the floating sensation kicked in. There wasn't much to see besides snow, but he could barely make out the dark grey of the others' parachutes. It seemed they were already on the ground.

As the snow underfoot came up fast, Shinji steadied himself for a somewhat hard landing. He landed with a thud, his legs digging a few inches into the snow. Quickly sitting up and cutting away the parachute's ropes with a knife he'd brought from the APC, he looked through the white haze for any shapes. "Asuka?" he shouted into the loud winds, his breathing ragged and shaky from the freefall. "Rei? Misato?"

A hand laid across Shinji's left shoulder. "I'm here," Asuka said. "So what'd you think?"

"T-that was…" Shinji shook his head, trying to slow his elevated heart rate. "I don't ever wanna do that again."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Asuka said, helping Shinji to his feet. "And slow your breathing or your lungs will freeze." They walked forward a few feet, peering into the storm. Some distance away, three taller shapes came out from the wind-driven snow. "There they are," she said, running over to the others.

"You could've given me some warning you were gonna pull me out of the goddamn plane!" Misato's raised voice just barely came through to them. Whatever response Kaji gave her was lost in the noise of the wind.

"Everybody here?" Shinji asked as he and Asuka approached the other three. They nodded, looking about for the remaining person they'd left with. "Where's Rei?"

"She leapt first," Kaji explained, "so maybe she's just a little further behind than us."

"I am here," Rei just barely spoke, walking up to the others. In one hand was the case she'd dropped from the plane. Taking a moment to place it down, she opened the case.

Misato peered into the container, finding the contents no real surprise. It was a G3A1 rifle, along with a few clips and a suppressor. The last item she couldn't identify, though. "I get why the rest of this," she asked, "but what is that?"

"Thermal imaging sights," Rei answered. "I took them from the armory at the supply base, knowing it would help us cross through to our destination." She attached the two parts to the weapon, turning on the sights. Looking down the scope, she turned in the direction of where the plane had been heading. It appeared to be a base, not very different than the Berlin facility had been but a good deal larger. 'Most of it is probably below the surface, as well,' she thought.

"So where was it that the plane was headed?" Misato asked.

"It appears to be a base," Rei explained. "It resembles the previous NERV bases in other countries, but I would surmise it to be larger." Looking around the front of the base, she spied four thermal signatures near the building. "Stay low and follow me, there are sentries."

The others followed close behind, keeping as low to the ground as they could. Rei stopped a few yards away, taking another view through the scope at the guards. 'Four of them, armed with submachine guns,' she thought, trying to make out any details. The nearest appeared to be about one-hundred-fifty yards away. She crouched down in the snow and lined up, taking the wind into account. Setting the weapon to three-round burst, she let out a breath and squeezed the trigger. Through her sights, she saw the rounds impact the guard center mass. "One down," she whispered.

Moving forward a couple of dozen yards, Rei once again got low to the ground and took aim. The next three were posted much closer together, two out on the ice and one near what looked like an entrance on the building. One of them being taken out would no doubt alert the others. She decided the one closest to the door, it may just go unnoticed by the other two. She took the shot, three rounds striking the guard's neck and right shoulder. 'A little off, but it should be enough,' she thought.

As they moved closer, a loud crash took everyone's attention past the base and towards a small tower of smoke some distance away. Using the distraction to her advantage, Rei quickly ran closer to the last two guards and set the gun to full-auto. As the two became aware of her presence, she fired short bursts at both of them. Both men fell dead, red seeping into the white snow. "It is clear," she said, motioning for the others to move towards the entrance.

As they moved past, Misato took a gun from one of the dead guards. "I think we'll be needing a bit more firepower," she said, handing Ritsuko her NERV-issued handgun. "Take this. Here's hoping you won't need it."

Ritsuko nodded in agreement. "You and me both," she replied. The two women walked over to the entrance, which was locked by a card reader. "Great, more setbacks."

"No, this is simple enough to get around," Rei stated. She searched the dead guard next to the door, finding his access card. "I knew one of them must have it."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Rei," Asuka said, staring at the dead mean in the snow behind them.

Swiping the card through the slot, Rei heard a click. She pressed the button below the slot, the door sliding open to reveal a long hall leading to an elevator. "It is built exactly like the Berlin base," she said.

"Then that just makes things a bit easier for us," Misato said, pressing the elevator call button. It arrived soon after, the group piling inside. Before anyone could press anything, the elevator doors closed and began moving down on its own. "Tell me that's not a bad sign," the former major thought aloud.

"Everybody stay alert," Kaji said, taking the safety off his handgun. "They know we're here."

* * *

><p>The elevator arrived on a floor far below the surface. The group disembarked and slowly followed the corridors heading further into the facility. The halls certainly reminded them of other NERV bases, all plain metallic colors and nothing decorating them that wasn't functional. Most of the doors they passed led to various storerooms and empty space. "What in the hell is this place?" Asuka asked. "It's way too damned empty to be in use."<p>

"It appears this place was finished for a long time, but only recently being prepared for use," Rei guessed. "But the lack of any personnel is troubling."

"Armed guards out front and no one inside," Misato said. "I was expecting more than that."

"Maybe they're investigating the crash?" Shinji offered.

"Makes sense," Misato replied. "But still, not a soul…"

"Yes, it is strange," Rei said. She rounded another corner, leading the others deeper into the structure. "This level is built similarly to the Tokyo-3 base's Central Dogma level. There should be a secure elevator ahead that will lead us to the Commander's office."

"And that's where we'll find Zero…" Shinji said quietly. He felt the anger try to rise in him, barely held in place. 'This ends here, no matter what,' he thought, a mirror of his words on the night of the raid NERV headquarters over a month ago.

Before they rounded the next corner, a click and a laugh stopped the group in their tracks. "I would not go any further if I were any of you," a soft male voice spoke.

All six of them whirled around to face the room's newest occupant. A figure with red eyes and light grey hair. "You…you are dead," Rei said in surprise.

"Oh, how nice of you to remember that," someone who appeared to Kaworu Nagisa replied, pointing a large .45-caliber handgun at them, "especially considering it was you who killed me." He was dressed in white fatigues, the same as the guards at the entrance had been in. He quickly swiped a card through the reader on the wall next to him, a blast door coming down in the middle of the group. It came down right on Shinji's gun, crushing the metal of the barrel and breaking it into several pieces. The former Third Child found himself on one side with the other boy, the rest of the group on the other.

"Shinji? Shinji!" Asuka shouted, pounding on the steel wall. "Goddamn it, somebody do something!"

"I thought Nagisa was dead?" Kaji asked.

"He was," Rei replied. "I made sure of that myself."

"Then what the hell was that?" Asuka yelled, a few stray tears falling unnoticed.

"I…do not know," Rei admitted. "But we will not abandon Shinji. Keep watch down the other halls, and look for another way to open this wall."

"But Nagisa was an Angel!" Misato shouted. "How could Shinji possibly-"

"Trust me, Major," Rei replied. "If that was indeed Nagisa, then he is…less than what he was before."

"What does that mean?" Ritsuko asked.

"I cannot explain now," Rei continued. "But suffice to say, this is not an impossible task for Shinji. It concerns my own experiences with being dead and…reborn."

Misato continued staring at the former First Child. On one hand, she was worried for the boy that had gotten separated from them. On the other, Rei always seemed to know far more than she told. "I'll trust you on this for now, Rei," she whispered. "But you'd better hope he comes back alive."

"I already am," Rei said. She placed a hand on Asuka's right shoulder. "All you can do for him right now is hope."

Asuka looked up at Rei, giving her a nod before turning back to the steel shutter. "Shinji…" she whispered. "Come back to us."

*******To be continued…*******

**A/N:** Not quite expecting that, were you? I've left you guys with cliffhangers before, so at least that part is nothing new.

Pre-read for this chapter was again done by the team of Dark Machine, Eric Blair, gesser87, and JimmyWolk. Good work as always, gentlemen.

Small note: this chapter and all previous/following it were written around late June/early July last year. So a quick "sorry" to everyone who may have been waiting for something after TLaWR. Revisions and pre-reading can take quite a bit of time, it would seem…

For any of you who are new to the community, all of my older (2004-2006) works have undergone a small bit of tweaking (as of the 14th of June 2010). So go take a look, tell me what you think. And review! Even if it's not positive, review!

As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way!

**-AngelNo13Bardiel-**


	3. Mice and Gods

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

**THE IKARI ULTIMATUM**

Chapter 3: Mice and Gods

* * *

><p>Shinji, meanwhile, found himself face-to-face with the Fifth Child…or at least, it looked like him. "Who are you?" he asked in a threatening tone. "You look like him, but that's impossible. I saw Nagisa die right in front of Unit-01."<p>

"I'm hurt, Shinji," Kaworu said with a smirk. "I would think you'd remember someone who was about to kill you."

"How the hell can you still be alive?" Shinji asked.

"Ah, now that is an interesting tale," Kaworu explained. "Yes, the original body of Kaworu Nagisa was indeed killed right there. But as you no doubt saw in Berlin, there are…more of me."

"So what then, there's more of you in this base?" Shinji questioned.

"Oh no," Kaworu replied with a shake of his head. "Nagisa, or I should say Tabris, was the vessel for Adam's soul. With him killed, the soul returned to its rightful body. But when Unit-01 crushed Commander Ikari, it killed Adam as well. He was connected to your father, after all."

"Then what does that make you?" Shinji asked.

"I was the last of the cores for the Dummy Plug," Kaworu continued. "Unit-09, to be exact. I was the only one not already wired into my paired device. I awoke two weeks ago in the Moscow branch of NERV. You see, that's why that facility had to be purged. Unit-09 was taken from there to here, along with myself."

"But why go back to working for SEELE?" Shinji asked. "You seemed content to finish things back in Tokyo-3."

"I…cannot," Kaworu said slowly. "Somewhere in the transition from Adam's body to this one, I lost the ability to project the light of my soul."

"The AT field…" Shinji spoke under his breath.

Kaworu nodded. "But make no mistake, I could still kill you all without it. I have been trained so," he explained. "I am only going along with the old man until I can regain my power. Then, I shall find Adam's body and complete my task."

"They've got Adam?" Shinji questioned.

"Of course," Kaworu replied. "The Commander's body was still in Unit-01's grip when they brought it here. Zero feared Adam's power because of Second Impact, and so he had it buried deep out on the ice of this continent. Without my AT field, I cannot feel its presence."

"So you're just biding your time until you can," Shinji concluded. "That makes you no more human than me right now."

"And what will you do? Kill me?" Kaworu mocked. "You were unable to last time, and I doubt you have the will to do so now." He returned the gun to its holster on his left thigh. "But I shall humor you, if you want to believe you can win," he finished, reaching behind his back to pull out a knife with a four-inch blade.

Shinji stared hard at the other boy, trying to suppress the fear that threatened to bubble up from his gut. He had been training with Asuka for over a month now, more than ready for real combat. But this was the real thing…no mercy, no surrender. He removed his jacket and brought out the utility knife he'd been carrying, raising it in a defensive stance. It was shorter, but no less lethal in trained hands.

"Well, then…let us commence," Kaworu said. He made the first move and quickly lunged at Shinji, who used his own knife to deflect the stab and give the grey-haired boy a hard backhand across the face. He stumbled back, a little surprised by the former Third Child's resistance. "Taking it more seriously this time, are we?" he asked, a small amount of blood in the corner of his mouth. He quickly made two wide swipes with the edge of the blade, barely catching Shinji's left arm with the second.

Shinji grunted in pain a little and grabbed Kaworu's arm with his free hand, twisting it hard and kneeing him in the ribs. His opponent quickly recovered and slashed wildly at him, just missing his stomach. The former Third Child took a swing with his own weapon, just grazing Nagisa's face and leaving behind a long cut.

Kaworu touched the wound and looked at his hand. "It has been some time since I've seen my own blood," he mused. For the next few seconds, the short hallway rang with the sound of steel-on-steel as both did their damnedest to block and evade the other's knives.

Kaworu seized one of Shinji's blocks to quickly twist his arm and knock the utility knife from his hand. "And what will you do disarmed?" he asked, kicking the blade down the hall. Shinji didn't reply, only standing his ground and giving the other boy a look that (if they could) would kill. "Very well, then," he finished. Taking a step forward, he performed a combination of swipes and thrusts. The brown-haired boy dodged them with some effort before finding an opening. Once it had been presented, he firmly took hold of Kaworu's knife-holding arm and gave him a hard punch directly in the center of his face. Before the grey-haired boy could react to that, Shinji quickly removed the knife from his grasp and plunged it through his opponent's left hand with a yell and a kick to the midsection.

Laid out on the floor after that attack, Kaworu slowly rose to his feet and looked at his own knife through his hand. "You do not understand," he spoke with a slight anger in his tone, "ignoring pain was one of the first things the old men taught me." Pulling the knife free from his palm, he continued. "I believe you broke my nose with that last punch. I will have to repay you in kind." He quickly took a number of small slashes at Shinji, several of them catching his limbs. None were deep or caused much bleeding, but each of them hurt quite a bit.

Kaworu tossed the knife aside, deciding to do the rest with his hands. While Shinji was dealing with the pain of his lacerations, the Fifth Child closed the short distance and began assaulting him with hard punches to the face and ribs. Shinji was almost certain one of the last blows had broken a couple of them. Kaworu reached into a pocket of his uniform to remove a small punch dagger, its blade barely two inches long. He made a few swipes with it before launching himself on the other boy, bringing them both down to the floor and digging the small weapon deep into the former Third Child's left arm.

Shinji found himself unable to scream from the pain. It had literally taken the air from him. He wordlessly tried to fight through it, but this was unlike any pain he'd ever felt…at least in an EVA, it was only imagined pain. No, this was far more real. He couldn't move much, the blade in his arm effectively nullifying it and not a weapon within reach of his other hand.

Kaworu placed his left knee onto Shinji's chest and steadied himself with his right leg, his right hand still on the dagger in the other boy's arm. "Don't struggle, it'll only hurt more," he whispered, leaning in close. "I have been waiting for this since I met you in Tokyo-3." He dug the blade just a little more. "I know I hit bone," he continued, relishing the expression on the former Third Child's face. "And don't you dare pass out on me now, we still have so much more to get to."

Shinji was fighting hard to stay conscious, the pain in his arm making everything come through in a haze. Slowly, his vision settled down on the gun on Kaworu's left leg. The holster's clasp was unbuttoned, the weapon just ready to be freed. He slowly moved his right hand out to it, trying to remain unnoticed.

Kaworu smiled evilly at the boy under him. "The old man wants you broken for his scenario," he explained, lost in the moment. "For starters, I'll just kill the older members of your group quickly. They mean nothing to me." He took a second to grab his nose and twist it back into place, a small amount of blood coming from both nostrils. "I'm going to take my time with the First," he continued. "I owe her much for how she killed the previous me. Then I'm going to ensure I make it slowest for the Second. And you'll watch every nanosecond of it…"

Shinji's eyes took on a hard edge and he found the strength to block out the pain for just a bit. Reaching forward quickly with his right arm, he took an upside-down hold of the gun in Kaworu's holster and jerked it free before digging it hard into the underside of the other boy's jaw. "You…you never should…have brought Asuka into…this," he struggled to talk, closing his eyes and using his little finger to pull the trigger. A loud bang and a splash of warmth on his face were the immediate sensations he felt, soon followed by just under a hundred pounds of deadweight hitting the floor. He tossed the gun away and opened his eyes, looking down to see the Kaworu's body. There was a small wound under his chin and a much larger exit wound in his scalp.

Shinji slowly sat up, pain shooting everywhere through his body. He picked up his discarded jacket and one of the knives, cutting one of the sleeves from the coat and some of the lining. He looked at the punch dagger, still stuck in his left arm, and took ahold of it with his right hand. Tensing himself, he pulled hard on it and freed it from his flesh. As the blood began to flow from the wound, he quickly took the lining he'd cut from the jacket and placed it over the wound, using the sleeve he'd cut from the same garment to tie the makeshift gauze tightly into place.

With his main wound dressed for the immediate future, Shinji slowly stood up and walked over to his dead opponent. "I sincerely hope you were the last one," he said, gritting his teeth to fight off the pain. Reaching down to Kaworu's body, he removed the card from his pocket. Walking back over to the reader, he swiped it through and started heading back over to the steel shutter.

As the shutter came up, those who had been waiting on the other side got a good look at the scene before them. "Shinji!" Asuka shouted, sprinting over to him in time to catch him mid-fall. "Don't you die on me, you hear me?" she asked, holding him close.

"Loud…and clear…" Shinji muttered, trying to gather whatever strength he had left. He managed to get back to his feet with Asuka's help and walk over to the others. "S…sorry for worrying you…Misato," he said to the woman.

Misato could only stare at him in a mix of relief and horror. She was elated he was alive, but shocked at his physical state. "Oh God, I thought he…" she began, trying not to tear up.

Kaji stared down at Kaworu's body. "I don't get it, we saw him die back in Tokyo-3 weeks ago," he said.

As Shinji told them what Kaworu had said, Ritsuko tended to his injuries. She tied off portions of his already-used jacket to his other cuts and retied the main one on his arm. "Only this one is serious," she explained. "The others won't bleed for more than a little while, and the cloth will be enough to soak it up. He did do a number on your ribs, though. At least two or three of them feel broken."

"I figured as much," Shinji said, finally able to speak evenly again. "I just hope nothing's permanent."

Ritsuko shook her head. "I wouldn't think so," she said, helping him to his feet.

"Are you well enough to continue on?" Rei asked him.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah…we've still things to finish," he replied.

Asuka moved to his right side and steadied Shinji, putting one of his arms over her shoulders. "Well come on then, let's not keep that bastard waiting any longer," she said.

Shinji nodded and followed them down the hall. At the end was another elevator, this one open and waiting for them. "Here we go," he said softly as they piled into the elevator…

* * *

><p>The elevator deposited them into a dark office. The group walked in the large room, looking around for any movement. Misato and Ritsuko both noted how much it resembled Commander Ikari's, the same ornate patterns on the floor casting a small amount of light through the room. Across the way was a large desk. A light came from behind it, revealing a bearded man in his late fifties wearing some sort of ceremonial robe. "Ah yes, so good of you to finally arrive," he spoke up, his voice echoing all around.<p>

Four guns were raised the man's direction. "SEELE-0..." Misato said. "I can't say it's an honor."

"Major, you should be less concerned with me and more with yourself," Zero said, snapping his fingers. In an instant, dozens of armed soldiers stepped out from the shadows around the room and raised their weapons towards the group. "Now if you'll be so kind, drop your weapons."

Misato looked around the room at their odds. There had to be at least thirty soldiers and only the six of them. Even between all three Children, things were definitely not in their favor. She slowly lowered her weapon onto the floor, the others following suit soon after.

"See what can happen when you decide to be reasonable?" Zero asked. He then turned to Shinji. "Now then, boy…you have a task ahead of you."

Shinji smiled coldly at the man that had been hunting him for the last several turbulent days. "Begging your pardon, sir," he began, his voice almost dripping with venom, "but…you can just pick up one of those guns and go fuck yourself with it. I gave you my answer in Berlin. I won't repeat myself."

"Defiant to the last, huh?" Zero questioned with a snort. "You and your father had that in common…"

"That and my mother were all we had in common," Shinji replied, wincing from the pain in his side.

"And what in the world will you do now?" Zero asked. "You're clearly injured and outnumbered. No one is coming to help. What makes you think you have any say in this matter?"

Shinji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Because I'm a human being with free will," he answered. "And I decided that I won't be your instrument of fate. Mankind may have done some horrible things, but that doesn't give you the right to decide for them!"

"And who does? You, perhaps?" Zero shot back. "Relent that manner of thinking, mankind need this to move forward."

"No," Shinji replied. "We've survived Second Impact. I think that proves that man should continue to live on."

Zero leaned back in his chair and sighed. "You won't be convinced otherwise, will you?" he asked. Shinji shook his head slowly. "Very well then," he said, turning to look at the soldiers. "Try to spare the boy. Kill the others."

Across the room, weapons were readied and safeties were clicked off. As the soldiers raised their guns in his direction, Shinji shut his eyes and hugged Asuka tightly. "I'm sorry it had to end like this," he whispered to her. Asuka didn't answer, only closing her eyes as well.

The sounds of gunfire rang loudly throughout the office for several seconds. As quiet settled over the room, Shinji wondered if he was still alive or not. The pain all over his body certainly answered for him. Snapping his eyes open suddenly, he saw Rei standing with her arms outstretched at her sides…and a familiar octagonal glow a few feet from them. "Rei…" he whispered.

The others slowly opened their eyes to see just what he had. Across the room, most of the soldiers had been caught unaware by the ricochets, now lying in pools of their own blood. A little over thirty had been thinned to under a dozen in seconds.

"That's an AT field…" Ritsuko said, staring wide-eyed at Rei. "How did you…"

Rei stared towards Zero, anger shining in her eyes. "You will not harm them any further," she warned.

If Zero was shocked, he hid it well. "It finally makes sense why Ikari kept you close," he spoke, his voice not wavering an inch. He reached across the desk to press a button. "Tabris," he said. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. "Tabris, I need you in here now," he repeated, louder this time.

"He is dead," Rei answered. "You have lost any advantage you had. Call off the rest," she ordered, motioning to the remaining guards in the room.

Zero thought it over for a moment before deciding. "Leave us," he said. Noticing no movement after a few seconds, he began again. "Now." The soldiers slowly gathered the alive and injured and walked over to the elevator, taking it back down to the main level. "I had a feeling about you…Lilith," he said to Rei, standing up from the desk.

"I am not Lilith," Rei started. "I am Rei Ayanami, designated First Child and former pilot of Evangelion Unit-00." She stopped here to take a deep breath. "And I wish to be free of that fate."

"But you are the vessel for her soul, are you not?" Zero asked, stopping a few feet from her. "I do not understand why you would side with them. You have a purpose far greater than-"

"I am done with my purpose," Rei cut him off. "I am done being anyone's tool or puppet."

"And you believe that you are no different than them?" Zero questioned, pointing to the group behind her. "You delude yourself. You are a god among mice, indeed."

"They are my friends," Rei said, "and we are done here. There is nothing you can do to harm them or myself any further."

Zero sighed. "If that is truly how you feel, then…" he trailed off, reaching into his robe to retrieve his own sidearm. As he turned back towards the group, a shot rang through the room. Shinji shut his eyes involuntarily at the sound. When he opened them, he saw that Zero had a small hole in his forehead. The man fell backwards to the ground, effectively the end of SEELE.

Looking for the source of the shot, Shinji saw Asuka standing with Misato's gun in hand and smoke coming from its barrel. "Just shut up and give us back our lives," she spoke in a cold tone. "I want to go back to…to before you found us…" she trailed off, letting the gun drop to the floor and sinking to her knees. Shinji crouched next to the redhead, holding her close and trying to console her.

Misato walked over to Rei. "What he said…was it true?" she asked.

Rei nodded, looking down at the floor. "Yes," she began. "My body is made from her flesh and it contains her soul…but I am not Lilith. I am…me."

"How did you know how to…do that?" Ritsuko questioned, still shocked. "I mean, I knew what you are, but I didn't know…"

"I did not until Shinji repeated Nagisa's words," Rei explained. "I knew from my second self's death that there is some…loss of ability and memory with passing from one vessel to another. It takes time to regain both, but I was only aware of my ability to generate an AT field when he reappeared. That is how I knew Nagisa was unable to generate his any longer, I could not…sense him. He would have relearned how to do it in time."

"So, what you're saying is," Kaji asked, "you played a gamble?"

Rei nodded. "If that is how you wish to put it, then yes," she said, looking back down to the floor again. "But I am afraid my…nature will cause you to look at me differently."

Shinji stood up and walked slowly over to her. "Rei…never think you're any less than our friend," he said. "You've saved my life more than enough times for me to call you that."

"Th…thank you, Shinji," Rei said quietly, a tear running down her cheek.

Shinji moved back closer to Asuka. "Are you okay now?" he asked.

Asuka stood up and looked down at Zero's body. "Yeah, it's just…" she began, turning away from the sight, "I'll let it go in time."

"I'll be there to help," Shinji whispered to her.

Rei crouched down and searched through Zero's robe, finding the device she'd been seeking a few seconds later. "We must go now, they will be coming back."

"What's that?" Misato asked, pointing to the device. It appeared to be a touch-screen handheld computer.

"It will become apparent soon enough," Rei said, typing away for a few seconds. When she finished, a light shown behind the desk onto a large lift. "Get on, this will take us further inside."

"I thought we were leaving," Misato replied.

"We are," Rei explained, "but we cannot leave Unit-01 in their hands. This lift will take us to a temporary cage set up here. The EVA is also the safest means to escape from here."

"So, inside the beast once more…" Shinji thought aloud. He walked over to the lift with the others, ready to leave this particularly cold slice of Hell behind for good…

* * *

><p>The lift came out into a room that looked a lot like the control bridge back in the NERV headquarters at Tokyo-3, only more closed in. A large window on the right side looked down into what appeared to be another white EVA unit under construction. 'Unit-09...' Shinji thought. Across the way in another makeshift cage, he saw the familiar machine he'd piloted so often in the past. 'I guess I just can't escape you, can I?'<p>

Rei input a few commands into the device she'd taken off Zero's body. "The lift is in lockdown," she said. "No one will be entering from the office."

"So, just what is that he was carrying?" Ritsuko asked, moving station-to-station to prepare Unit-01 for startup. 'This'd be a lot easier with a crew,' she mused.

"This is the override control for the base," Rei answered. "This was how he led us to him."

"Any possibility you could start the EVA from here?" Ritsuko questioned.

Rei shook her head. "I am afraid not," she replied, "although there is a catapult on one end of the floor below that I can prepare for use." She input the catapult override, a loud sound far overhead ringing out. "How soon can Unit-01 be prepared?"

Ritsuko looked over the information on three different screens. "Let's see…" she began, "entry plug was still inserted since the last time it was at headquarters. Everything reads green across the board, nothing unusual detected. We'll just have to see what happens when Shinji gets in."

Misato looked over at the boy. "One last time, then," she spoke softly. "Good luck."

"I hope this is the last time," Shinji replied, moving towards the exit to the outside catwalk.

"Hey, wait a sec," Asuka spoke up, taking off her jacket and walking up beside him. "I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure?" Shinji asked.

"Look, one of your arms is pretty damaged right now," Asuka explained. "You'll need me to get us out of here. Besides…I want to get into an EVA again. What did you think I was gonna do, ride in its hands?"

Shinji smiled at the little bit of her old attitude coming back. "Okay…sure," he replied.

"Wait," Rei called out, looking through a case on the far wall. She removed two items and tossed them to Shinji, who just barely caught them. It was a plastic bag containing two pairs of white A10 connectors. "It is fortunate they came prepared."

Shinji gave her a quick smile before handing Asuka one pair. Affixing them onto their heads, they opened the door and walked out onto the catwalk in front of the EVA. "Guess it's once more for us, mother," he said, looking up at the machine, the entry plug sticking out from its neck.

For the next few minutes, Ritsuko maneuvered a crane to remove the entry plug and place it as close to the catwalk as she could. The two teens steeped inside of the dark capsule, grabbing hold of the seat. Shinji took his usual seat, memories of the first time he piloted coming to him. Asuka took hold of the side of the seat, climbing onto the edge and into his lap. "Like I said on the bike," she began, "no funny ideas here. It's our asses on the line."

"Yes ma'am," Shinji teased, giving her a small smile. The plug was slowly raised to the neck of the EVA, clamped and slid into place right after. The lights in the plug came on a few seconds later, the LCL filling up the small chamber. 'Always hated this part,' he thought darkly. 'Guess you never get used to some things.' As it passed over their heads, they took deep breaths of the amber liquid. Both gagged a little, not having breathed it in for a long time. It became clear just after, the familiar pattern of lights signaling the startup procedure had almost finished.

"Okay, pilot connected to EVA," Ritsuko's voice came over the comm as the restraining bolts were loosened. "Synch rate holding at fifty-three-point-seven percent. Not bad, considering neither of you has been in one for months."

"It feels…different than Unit-02," Asuka said. "Like this tingle where my spine meets my head."

"It's always felt like for me," Shinji told her. "It gives me a headache."

"See? Mine was more advanced, after all," Asuka stated proudly. "Even if yours was more important…"

Shinji turned on the audio link to the command center. "Alright, everyone out to the walkway," he said. "Take hold of the left trigger, Asuka."

Asuka nodded, grabbing ahold of the left device and mirroring his right hand's actions. Shinji willed the machine to put a hand out next to the walkway. As the others neared it, he switched the comm to open. "Get in the palm, we're going back to the surface," his voice sounded from the EVA.

Before she stepped onto Unit-01's hand, Rei motioned to Shinji. "When we exit back onto the surface," she said, "move at least one thousand yards away and extent the EVA's AT field to maximum strength in the direction of the base."

"Why? What's going to happen?" Shinji asked.

"This device can trigger the base purge remotely," Rei explained, stepping onto the palm. "I am taking into account both the size of the Moscow base explosion and what may happen to the S2 engine for Unit-09."

"Oh…" Shinji answered, feeling the tension in his body heighten. "Better get clear soon, then," he said to himself. Looking back at Asuka, he nodded his head towards the controls. The redhead nodded back, taking partial control with him.

Unit-01 clasped its hands together gently, shielding the occupants of its right palm. It moved towards the far wall, towards the catapult. Shinji stood in place on it and took one last look above him, seeing grey sky far overhead. "Do it, Rei," he said through the comm.

There was a few seconds of silence with nothing happening. "I cannot," Rei's voice came into the entry plug. "The catapult is non-responsive. You will have to climb from here."

"Never an easy way for us, huh?" Asuka questioned, sighing heavily. The two teens willed Unit-01 to keep ahold of the group with one hand and use the other and its feet to slowly dig into the wall leading upwards. It took nearly fifteen tense minutes, the others trying to keep themselves steady in the cramped space in the machine's palm.

"Remind me why we didn't ride along in the entry plug?" Ritsuko asked.

"You really want to get in there, knowing what you do about it?" Misato questioned back. "I'll be damned if I do."

Ritsuko considered her query for a few seconds. "I hate it when you make a good point."

As Unit-01 finally came out onto the surface, Shinji and Asuka willed the machine to break out into a sprint away from the base. The catapult had come out about a hundred feet from the topside structure, the snowstorm having let up a little while they were inside. After three minutes of running, the machine came to a stop far away from the building. Holding out its left hand, the familiar hexagonal glow of its AT field became visible in the air. "Alright Rei, we're clear," he said quietly.

Rei looked down at the override device, inputting the purge command. Her finger stopped over the last key. "May this be the end of SEELE's plans," she said, pressing the key. A flash blinded the six of them, a pressure wave colliding against the AT field but not breaking through it. The base was taken from the Earth in the same flash of light and heat that claimed the Moscow base. There was a second blast a few seconds later, this one much stronger. Shinji forced every bit of mental concentration to keeping the AT field up. Unit-01 was forced down to one knee from the shockwave, digging deeply into the ice. Ten seconds later, the light and pressure subsided and an eerie quiet settled over the icy landscape.

Shinji opened his eyes slowly, looking out at the remains of the base. "That's it…" he whispered, clicking off the outside audio link. "It's over."

Asuka let go of the trigger she'd been holding onto and hugged him tightly. "We're finally free," she told him. Pulling away a little, she stared deeply into his eyes. There was relief in them, along with quite a bit of pain. "How're you doing?" she asked, gently poking his makeshift-bandaged arm.

Shinji winced inwardly, but kept the smile on his face. "Been better," he said with a smirk. Then his smile faded quickly. "Listen, Asuka…there's something I have to say…"

"Can't it wait until we're somewhere warmer?" Asuka questioned, although there was no chill inside the entry plug.

Shinji took hold of her hands and gave her a serious stare. "No, this can't," he began. "I have to say this now. When Kaworu had me pinned down, he threatened all of you. When he got to you, I…I snapped," he stopped to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "I can't stand the idea of anyone hurting you. I don't even want to, even if that may happen one day. But I'll never do it on purpose. I just know that I never want to be apart from you again."

Asuka sat quietly, hanging on every word. Tears began forming in her eyes, only to dissolve in the LCL.

"I memorized something while we were in Osaka," Shinji continued. "That time we went to the library in town, I found the words I wanted to tell you one day." He stopped to take in a deep breath and close his eyes, looking like he was concentrating on something difficult. He opened them and spoke again. "_Ich liebe dich, mein Engel. So lange ich lebe ist mein Herz dein. Alles an mir gehört dir._"

Asuka was shocked, to say the least. "Y-your accent is…horrible…" she teased, trying not to cry for now.

"I'm sure it is," Shinji replied, smiling at her.

"Do you…do you really mean that?" Asuka questioned, not having the strength to hold in her tears.

Shinji nodded, smiling brightly and hugging her, his own tears running freely. "I love you with all that I am," he whispered.

"And I love you, too…my idiot," Asuka purred, pressing her lips to his in a light-but-needing manner. This kiss didn't get any more intimate than that, both just taking in the outpouring of emotions through it. They broke away about twenty seconds later, holding close to one another.

Then Shinji noticed something out of the corner of his eye, frantic movement coming from one of the people in Unit-01's hand. Clicking the audio link back on, he was met by Misato's frustrated shouting. "Hey, get a move on! We don't have all day for you two to be playing newlyweds, I'm freezing my ass off down here!"

"Oh, I think it'll take more than that to work it off," Asuka shot back.

Misato stopped waving her arms and stared at Unit-01's face. "Oh very funny, young lady," she said, hugging close to herself to keep some warmth inside.

"Sorry Misato," Shinji spoke though the comm. "I just needed to talk to Asuka. But…where do you suppose we go?"

Misato looked over at Rei. "Well, I'm open to suggestions," she said.

Rei looked through the options on the override device. "There are various map coordinates," she began. "One of them looks to be a small building a few miles away. Not large enough to be another base, but there may be transport there."

"Which direction?" Shinji asked. Rei pointed to the southeast. "Then let's get going," he said, willing the EVA to continue moving forward.

"The rest of the coordinates are to places on other continents," Rei said, looking at the device's screen. "Two of them are the Berlin and Moscow bases."

Kaji looked over her shoulder at the screen. "I recognize a few of these," he offered, pointing at the GPS map. "Some of them are NERV branches, others are SEELE-owned bases."

"It appears that nine of them are flagged as priority," Rei continued, pointing towards the remains of the Arctic base. "One of which is now destroyed."

"That's gotta be where they've got the rest of the EVA series," Misato spoke up.

Rei nodded. "Yes…and that means there is still work to be done," she said, looking down at the palm of Unit-01.

Misato's head snapped around to the girl. "Wait, you don't mean-"

"No, Major," Rei cut in, shaking her head. "I wish you all to go on with your lives. I will take care of this." She stared at her hands, a stern look on her face. "If there are any SEELE forces left, they cannot stop me. I may have turned my back on the reason I was created, but I do still have a purpose." She looked back to the others. "The EVA series will be used as weapons if they are not destroyed or dismantled. That is now my new purpose."

Misato put a hand on the former First Child's shoulder. "I understand, but…are you sure?" she asked.

Rei looked up at the woman. "I do not want any of you involved," she said.

"Hey, we're involved regardless of what you want," Ritsuko spoke up. "And I have an obligation to see this finished, as well."

"What are you proposing, doctor?" Rei questioned.

Ritsuko sighed. "I say we approach the UN about the dismantling of the EVAs," she explained. "You're right, we can't have them used as weapons by other governments. With the Angels dead, that's exactly what could happen. And as head of Project E, I have to see that through."

"I've got a few connections that could come in handy, if you want," Kaji offered. "I've seen all of NERV's secrets I wanted to, now I just want to bury them."

The group in Unit-01's hand continued discussing their plans, the machine traveling across the ice in long strides. A few minutes later, they came upon a short building in the middle of nowhere. "This is the location," Rei stated. "You may set us down here," she spoke, looking up at Unit-01. The machine kneeled down to the ground and lowered its hand, the others jumping off one at a time.

Misato walked over to the metal door and slid it open just a little, revealing a single-engine airplane inside. "Lemme guess…you can fly this?" she asked Rei while sliding the hangar door completely open.

"Yes," Rei answered, walking over to the plane. There was a NERV logo on the hatch. "I am guessing this to be Zero's private aircraft."

"Won't be needing it anymore," Misato replied, opening the hatch and looking inside. There was enough room to fit the six of them…barely. "Hope there's no weight restrictions."

Meanwhile, Shinji had placed Unit-01 low to the ground and ejected the entry plug. Asuka had exited first, climbing down the short distance back down to ground level. The former Third Child's exit from the machine was much less graceful, the boy landing hard in the thick snow. Fortunately, it cushioned his fall enough for it to only hurt a little. Grimacing, he slowly rose to his feet and began shivering at the cold wind on his LCL-soaked skin. "Let's get inside for now," he said. As they walked into the hangar, he looked back at Unit-01. "Goodbye, mother. I hope you can find some peace out here for now."

The six quickly piled into the plane, Shinji taking the very back seat. "I want to get some rest," he said. "It's been a long day."

"No kidding," Misato replied, buckling herself in. "I don't know what I want to do first…get drunk or take a bath," she said with a sigh. "Maybe take a six-pack into the tub with me. But I can damn well tell you it'll be in my own home."

Asuka smiled an evil grin at the woman next to her. "Oh, that reminds me," she began. "I've got to tell you something you'll find…interesting, Misato."

"Oh really?" Misato asked, raising an eyebrow.

Asuka leaned in close and whispered to the former major, whose expression went from puzzled to a starry-eyed gaze with a grin.

Kaji stared at the girl. "What the hell did you tell her?" he questioned.

Asuka smirked proudly at him. "Oh, you'll hear all about it when she snaps out of it…" she said in a fake-innocent tone.

Ritsuko just shook her head and laughed. Rei continued preparing the plane for its flight. Shinji leaned his seat back and felt the stress pour off of him. It was done…NERV, SEELE, running for their lives. Things were going to settle back into a normal pattern. 'Well, as normal as they can be for us,' he thought just before falling asleep, the plane rolling out of the hangar and off the ground…

*******To be continued…*******

**A/N:** Alright, I think I met my action quotient with this chapter. Expect the epilogue to come along soon.

Yes, time to give some song-to-scene suggestions again! For the knife/hand-to-hand fight scene, find and listen to _Bruises_ by **Unloco**. For the A/S scene inside Unit-01 near the end, find and listen to _Thirty-Three_ by **The Smashing Pumpkins**.

And speaking of the scene inside Unit-01...the translation for that German line? You're already online, just go look it up. Think of it as a homework assignment.

Pre-read for this chapter was again done by the team of Dark Machine, Eric Blair, gesser87, and JimmyWolk. Good work as always, gentlemen.

Small note: this chapter and all previous/following it were written around late June/early July last year. So a quick "sorry" to everyone who may have been waiting for something after TLaWR. Revisions and pre-reading can take quite a bit of time, it would seem…

For any of you who are new to the community, all of my older (2004-2006) works have undergone a small bit of tweaking (as of the 14th of June 2010). So go take a look, tell me what you think. And review! Even if it's not positive, review!

As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way!

**-AngelNo13Bardiel-**


	4. It's a Nice Day to Start Again

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

**THE IKARI ULTIMATUM**

Chapter 4: It's a Nice Day to Start Again

*******Three weeks later*******

Shinji opened his eyes, the morning light streaming into his room. Staring up at the familiar ceiling, he smiled a little. 'Just another day,' he thought. At his side was Asuka, who was fast asleep. They were both down to just underwear, their regular sleeping attire since coming back. Upon returning home, they'd decided on moving into the same room. It was only natural, seeing how they'd been like that back in Osaka.

And, oh dear, had Misato mercilessly teased them upon getting back home. First thing she'd done was replace the old sign on Shinji's door, which read 'Shinji's Lovely Suite', with a more elaborate one with 'Asuka and Shinji's Love Shack' on it. Asuka had fumed for a while at first before just accepting it grudgingly. And he did have to admit, her reaction had been funny as hell.

Shinji slowly extracted himself from the bed, moving Asuka's arm aside and sliding out ever-so-gently. The redhead only mumbled and rolled over. Quickly putting on his shirt and shorts, he slid the room's door open and stepped outside. Closing the door with a soft click, he peered around for Misato. Upon returning, she'd been keeping uneven hours. It was a complete gamble what time she'd be up sometimes. Walking out onto the balcony, he took in the morning air. The apartment had sustained only a fair amount of damage from the events of the night he'd returned there. It took less than a week's worth of work to get it back to looking the same as before.

Shinji looked out at the sight of Tokyo-3 in the morning sun. The city had been rebuilt while they were away, this time with the idea that there were no more Angels to come. People had begun moving back, although those who had worked for NERV had to look for other occupations.

The group had landed on an airstrip Kaji had directed them towards, an old JSSDF base no longer in use. Upon exiting the plane, they were met by armed personnel who worked for the UN. Apparently, they wanted some answers for what had happened at the NERV base at Tokyo-3. On the way over, the group had decided on a story to tell the higher-ups, which everyone explained to several military interrogators over the next few days.

Their story was that NERV had eliminated the last of the Angels and were subsequently looked at as a threat by SEELE. The Committee wanted to use the Evagelions as weapons of war against man, so they captured several important members of NERV: Commander Ikari, Major Katsuragi, Dr. Akagi, and the Children. The Commander had been tortured and killed for his insubordination against them, Shinji also having been tortured for his familial connection to the Commander. Kaji, who had been working with NERV and SEELE as well as the Japanese government, infiltrated the Arctic base and freed them before setting off the base's detonation via the override device Rei had taken off Zero's body.

SEELE's loyalties to other governments had been either strained or severed long ago, so the UN decided it to be a good enough explanation for the general public despite being a fabrication. They'd rather just wash their hands of it all, the same as anyone else who knew. So that was it…the true purposes of NERV, SEELE, and the EVAs were quietly swept under the rug to be forgotten. Shinji had no problems with keeping his mouth shut about what really happened, he'd have rather forgotten it entirely.

Ritsuko had requested to the UN the deactivation of the other EVA units around the world. She was currently traveling from base to base with a small team of UN-sanctioned soldiers and technicians, Rei never far behind and ready to protect any one of them. So far, one unit being built in the NERV facility at Beijing had been dismantled and its S2 engine detonated deep under the Pacific Ocean.

'That only leaves nine more total,' Shinji thought. Unit-02 hadn't been moved from the Geofront. Unit-01 had been located and brought back to be placed with it deep under Tokyo-3. Both were scheduled to be the last two dismantled. 'Guess I'll consider that a burial of sorts.'

Kaji had been around sporadically, busy with both his duties to the Japanese government and giving his findings as a double-agent for both NERV and SEELE to the UN. A few things had been left out, of course. The subconscious training Shinji and Asuka had both undergone, Rei's origins and nature, Kaworu, SEELE and Commander Ikari's plans for Instrumentality…all just neatly cut from the spy's reports. And ever since coming home, Misato had been dropping hints to him about a potential engagement.

'Poor guy,' Shinji thought. Then he remembered his friends' reaction to their return…as well as their 'situation'.

*******Eight days earlier*******

Asuka opened the front door, finding a familiar sight waiting for her. "Hikari!" she shouted giving the other girl a hug.

Hikari Horaki did her best to mirror her friend's enthusiasm. "Oh Asuka," she said, a few tears running down her cheeks, "I didn't know what to think. I just never heard from you again…"

"Ha, did you think anything was gonna take me down?" Asuka questioned proudly. "I'm far too tough for that."

"But still…almost four months as a hostage," Hikari said softly, shaking her head. "I just can't believe they'd do that."

"Yeah, turns out NERV was working for some serious bastards," Asuka replied. She looked past Hikari at the two figures moving towards the front door. "Oh great, here comes the comic relief…"

Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida walked into the apartment, giving little more than grunts as hellos. "Yeah…nice to see you too, Red," Toji said flatly. The incident with Unit-03 caused him to need a prosthetic arm and leg, but he seemed to have adjusted to them well enough by now. Of course, that had been months ago.

"Toji! She's been through a very trying time!" Hikari ordered.

Toji quickly snapped to attention. "Uh…oh, sorry," he quickly offered.

"Still got him trained well, huh?" Asuka teased.

Hikari turned bright red. "Asuka!"

Asuka let out a short laugh. "Hey idiot!" she called out into the apartment. "Your friends are here!"

Shinji walked out of his room, leaning a little on his left side. "Geez man, you look like hell," Toji said, walking over and giving his friend a hearty handshake. Noticing the boy's sad stare at his artificial limbs, he continued. "Hey…don't worry over it a bit, I've gotten used to them. It's like I never lost 'em in the first place."

Shinji looked up and smiled at the taller boy. "It's great seeing you again, Toji," he replied, taking a seat on the couch.

Kensuke walked over to him. "Nice to see you're still with us," he began, shaking the former Third Child's hand. "Damn, looks like they worked you over good."

"You don't know the half of it," Shinji spoke under his breath. He had been checked out by UN doctors soon after his own interrogation. The blade to his left arm had indeed cracked the bone a bit, and there were three broken ribs on his right side. The pain in both had lessened, but was still ever-present for the time being.

"I can't believe they'd do that to you," Hikari said, looking down at the carpet.

"Trust me, they'd have done a lot worse if it weren't for Kaji," Asuka replied.

"I'll have to thank him, then," Toji said, looking around the apartment. "Is Misato here?"

Shinji shook his head. "Nah, she's got a couple of meetings today," he explained. "Should be back in a few hours, though."

"How's she doing?" Kensuke asked. "I'll bet she still looks fantastic…"

"As well as you'd expect," Asuka answered. "And quit swooning, you're hardly competition to Kaji."

"So when should I bring Pen-Pen home?" Hikari asked.

Asuka shrugged. "I'd ask Misato, but I figure she'll just say whenever is fine with her."

Hikari was about to continue, when something on Asuka's right hand caught her attention. "What is that?" she asked, reaching for the redhead's hand. On her ring finger was a simple gold band with a small red stone in the center. "Asuka…this is…" she tried to speak, her eyes wide.

Asuka sighed. She had hoped to break the news to Hikari some other time. "It's not exactly what it looks like, but it is a gift from someone…special," she replied, smiling brightly.

Hikari looked back and forth between Asuka's face and hand, trying guess the answer to what she was going to ask next. "Who's it from?" she asked hurriedly.

By now, the other two had noticed the commotion and looked at whatever had triggered the class rep's surprise. "Damn…that's a nice ring. Somebody must have spent good money on it," Toji mused.

"Sucks to be that guy," Kensuke added.

Shinji cleared his throat, three heads turning in his direction. He smiled and held up a hand to get the point across.

Hikari gasped, while Toji and Kensuke just felt their jaws go slack. "Wait…really?" the pigtailed girl asked, having been the first to recover.

Asuka nodded, looking down at the floor right after. "Let's just say…a few months together in rough conditions can really change people."

Toji and Kensuke finally shook their surprise away and stared hard at Shinji, their expressions somewhere between horror and humor. The former Third Child felt his face heat up and sighed deeply. It was going to be a long afternoon…

*******End flashback*******

Shinji laughed and shook away the memories of that particular day. His friends had made Misato's teasing seem almost nonexistent by comparison. Except, of course, she had so delicately put it that any 'certain activities as a couple' be infrequent and definitely not when she was home. Oh sure, he and Asuka could try and keep things under control…but it had been close a couple of times over the last three weeks. And he did have to admit, he quite fondly remembered their second time. "Asuka's right, I am a pervert," he thought aloud.

Walking back inside, Shinji closed the balcony door and returned to the kitchen to find Misato sitting at the table. "Oh…good morning, Shinji," she said sleepily, drinking from a coffee mug.

"Good morning, Misato," Shinji replied, pouring himself a cup of the dark liquid.

"Huh…didn't know you drank coffee," Misato said.

Shinji shrugged. "Only a couple of times. It's terrible, but it helps in the morning."

"I heard that," Misato replied, taking another drink.

Sitting down at the table, Shinji continued. "Long night?"

Misato sighed heavily. "I swear, I think they do it just to see if I'll snap," she said. "I've had just about enough questions for a lifetime." She looked over at him. "There was an upside to it, though. They offered me a major's position in the JSSDF."

"Really?" Shinji asked. "That's great! I think you'll do fine…"

"I told 'em I'd give it some thought," Misato answered. "I'm just not so sure about remaining in military service."

"At least this time there won't be Angels," Shinji offered.

"I dunno," Misato went on. "I think I'd be more used to something that wasn't human."

"I can see your point," Shinji admitted.

"That reminds me," Misato spoke up. "I heard the school's going to reopen in a few weeks."

"Yeah, I know…" Shinji said, his head hung low.

"Oh come now, I thought you were looking forward to a normal boring life," Misato replied, humor in her tone.

"It's not that," Shinji explained. "It's the fact that I haven't told Asuka yet."

"Oh wonderful," Misato said, already guessing the redhead's reaction. "Speaking of, how is your sleeping beauty?"

"Doing just that," Shinji answered. "Probably won't be up for a while."

"Tire her out, did you?" Misato teased, her smile becoming a wicked smirk.

It was doubtful that Shinji could have turned redder. "Misato!" he said with some volume. "You know we agreed not to-"

Misato blinked a few times. "Eh? You seriously thought...?"

"Huh?" Shinji asked back.

"Oh, never mind. Might be for the best..." Misato said, waving a hand.

"You can be such a child," Shinji replied, his forehead touching the table.

"And why not?" Misato asked. "You always seem so serious, I'd swear you were the adult here. I think that allows me to have a childish moment." She raised her mug towards him. "Hey, how about a toast?"

"Huh? What for?" Shinji questioned.

"I dunno," Misato said with a shrug. "Just for, I guess."

"Alright," Shinji replied, thinking hard for an idea. A few seconds later, he held his own mug up to hers. "Here's to the end of our time at NERV and the beginning of a better life."

"Amen to that," Misato said, tapping her mug to his. "So truthfully…are you happy with how this all turned out?"

Shinji leaned back in his chair, thinking her question over. True, there were some things he'd have rather not had happen. But as the saying goes, 'what's done is done'. And, all physical and emotional pain aside, he'd gained what he really needed within these last couple of months. Smiling, he spoke up. "Yeah…I am."

*******THE END*******

**A/N:** And so, our trilogy comes to an end…and boy, what a ride it's been! There's been conspiracy, deceit, tension, standoffs, chases, explosions, guns, close-quarters combat…and yeah, more than a fair share of the mushy stuff. At least I know which I'm better at…

Now, in so far as what's to come? Well, there's a one-shot two that are being cooked up (see my FFN profile) and might see the light of day sometime ahead. But if you think this chapter marked the end of our little saga…oh, ye of little faith, there's still quite a bit more steam in this tale (**SANCTIONS**/**LEGACY**). No clue when any of it will be done and ready to read, but keep your eyes open anyway. You can never tell what my schedule will allow…

Lastly, I'd like to extend a hand and thank the readers who followed these works. I always appreciate anyone stopping to look at (and hopefully review) my stuff.

And once more for this story…

*******Omake time!*******

The camera pans from the hall into the author's room. Again, he is seated at the computer and finishing up the last few pieces of this work.

Bard: (sighing) Glad to get that out done and out-of-the-way finally… (notices the camera) Hey, just in time, my friends.

Mitsumi pops into the room suddenly, clothed in a dress matching her lime-colored hair.

Mitsumi: (smiling) Hi everyone! We were just waiting for you to show up.

Bard: (turning towards her) Then you're all set?

Mitsumi: (nodding) Oh, you bet! Come on, let's go.

The author stands from his seat and follows her into the other room, where the stage is again set for a performance. All five of Mitsumi's sisters are gathered around in one part of the room, talking and gossiping amongst each other. Each one is wearing a dress like Mitsumi's, the garment matching their hair color (red for Kara, violet for Rain, white for Magdalena, blue for Angelina, and yellow for Akari).

Angelina: So yeah, I've done some Rei cosplay while on hiatus. And I've been looking into trying out for series that need parts for fairies.

Magdalena: (surprised) Really? That sounds SO cool!

Rain: I wanna try out, too…

Akari: Same here. I'd say we could qualify as 'moe' enough for current trends.

Kara: Yeah, sure. (under her breath) I'll bet she's just blowing smoke…

Bard: (clears throat) Good afternoon, girls. Are we ready?

All five turn to see the author and Mitsumi, along with the camera following close behind. They wave happily to it before turning back to the room's newest occupants.

Akari: (points to the author) Just waiting for baka there.

Bard: (leans towards Mitsumi) Great, now you've got them doing that…

Mitsumi: Oh hush. What would you ever do without us?

Bard: (sighs heavily) Fine, fine. Let's just get to it, then.

Four of the fairies take their places on the stage (Mitsumi with her guitar strapped around her and in front of a keyboard, Magdalena with bass in hand, Angelina in front of her keyboard, and Akari behind her drum kit). The author walks up to the mic after they finish setting up. The other two fairies take their seats, placed a few feet from the stage.

Kara: (crossing her arms and leaning back) Guess we're sitting out this time.

Rain: (shrugging) C'mon sis, this'll be fun to watch!

Bard: (looking at the camera) Well, folks…like I said in the last part, there's only one song that could finish this thing up. Enjoy.

The lights in the room dim, leaving only small spotlights on the stage's occupants. A noise like a siren begins to wail, Mitsumi playing her keyboard riff shortly after that. A couple of bars later, the bass and drums enter into a steady beat. Angelina's keyboard enters another couple of bars after that, held notes filling the air.

Bard: (singing)_  
>Extreme ways are back again<br>Extreme places I didn't know  
>I broke everything new again<br>Everything that I'd owned  
>I threw it out the windows, came along<br>Extreme ways I know will part  
>The colors of my sea<br>Perfect-colored me  
>Extreme ways that that help me<br>They help me out late at night  
>Extreme places I had gone<br>But never seen any light  
>Dirty basements, dirty noise<br>Dirty places coming through  
>Extreme worlds alone<br>Did you ever like it then?_

_I would stand in line for this  
>There's always room in life for this<em>

_Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Then it fell apart  
>It fell apart<br>Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Then it fell apart  
>It fell apart<br>Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Then it fell apart  
>It fell apart<br>Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Like it always does  
>Always does<em>

_Extreme sounds that told me  
>They helped me down every night<br>I didn't have much to say  
>I didn't give up the light<br>I closed my eyes and closed myself  
>And closed my world and never opened<br>Up to anything  
>That could get me at all<br>I had to close down everything  
>I had to close down my mind<br>Too many things could cut me  
>Too much could make me blind<br>I've seen so much in so many places  
>So many heartaches, so many faces<br>So many dirty things  
>You couldn't even believe<em>

_I would stand in line for this  
>It's always good in life for this<em>

_Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Then it fell apart  
>It fell apart<br>Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Then it fell apart  
>It fell apart<br>Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Then it fell apart  
>It fell apart<br>Oh baby  
>Oh baby<br>Like it always does  
>Always does<em>

Both keyboards cut off here, Mitsumi switching to guitar to play a short riff for the remaining twelve seconds of the song. As the last notes fade, the lights in the room come back in full.

Rain: (applauding and grinning) Oh yeah, that was very nice!

Kara: (clapping lightly and smirking) Yes. Not bad at all, sisters. Oh, and you too baka-author.

Bard: (sweatdropping) Oh for the love of…

Mitsumi: (putting a tiny hand on his shoulder) Ah, let it go already. You know it isn't meant in meanness.

Bard: (shrugs) I guess. (turns towards the rest of the fairies) Great job as always, ladies.

Four beaming faces are the sight that answer him back wordlessly.

Bard: (turns towards the camera) Well, that concludes this particular work. Come on back again soon, maybe I'll have something else good for you.

The fairies gather around the author and wave enthusiastically at the camera, which slowly pans out of the room…and of course, to return another day…

*******End Omake*******

Pre-read for this chapter was again done by the team of Dark Machine, Eric Blair, gesser87, and JimmyWolk. Good work as always, gentlemen.

Small note: this chapter and all previous/following it were written around late June/early July last year. So a quick "sorry" to everyone who may have been waiting for something after TLaWR. Revisions and pre-reading can take quite a bit of time, it would seem…

For any of you who are new to the community, all of my older (2004-2006) works have undergone a small bit of tweaking (as of the 14th of June 2010). So go take a look, tell me what you think. And review! Even if it's not positive, review!

As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way!

Until our paths next cross,**  
>-AngelNo13Bardiel-<strong>


End file.
